New $600 Million Solar Power Plant to Be Built in Egypt's Western Desert

Egypt is getting a new solar power plant in the Western Desert governorate of Al Wadi Al Gadid, with a massive investment of $600 million set to be poured in the project, reports Al Borsa News.

Covering 12 square kilometers, the power plant will be second in size to Aswan's anticipated Benban Power Plant, the projected world's biggest solar power park. The new project is set to be completed somewhere between 9 and 12 months.

With a capacity of 600 MW, Enara Energy, the company behind the project, plans to expand its operations in Egypt through and additional power plants are projected to increase the company's capacity in Egypt to 1000 MW within four years.

Through such a project, the Egyptian government is moving forward with plans to lessen the country's reliance on fuel and gas by supplying 20 percent of the country's energy needs from renewable sources by 2022.